Shoe-lace tip



J. PAVELKA.

SHOE LACE TIP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2. 1919.

1,340,669. Patented y 18, 1920.

z/sepk Pavel/m.

JOSEPH PAVELKA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SHOE-LACE 'riP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented "May 18, 192() Application filed September 2, 1919. Serial No. 321,057.

b all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I JosErH PAYELKA, a citizen of the United ates, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Shoe-Lace Tips, of which the following is'a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a-ppertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful metallic tip for shoe laces, the principal ob ject of my invention being to provide a relatively simple and eflicient tip which can be easily and cheaply produced, and which, by virtue of its construction, can be easily and quickly applied to or removed from a shoe lace, thereby enabling the tip to be interchangeably used or removed from an old or worn lace and applied to a new lace.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an elevational view of the blank or section of sheet metal from which my improved shoe lace tip is formed.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the longitudinal center of a tip of my improved construction and said view being taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of the tip.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section taken approximately on the line 4:& of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the tip in position upon the end of a lace.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the tip with its lower portion partially opened to receive the end portion of a shoe lace.

By referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that my improved tip is formed from a single piece of material, preferably thin sheet metal, the main body portion a of said piece of material being substantially rectangular and having a length approximately twice its width, and this main body portion being divided lengthwise by a centrally arranged slit 6. This body portion a is extended for a short distance at its upper end beyond the end of the slit Z), as designated by 0, the side edges of this extension being inclined and converging toward its outer end. When this blank or section of metal is bent to form the finished tip, the body portion a takes the form of an elongated tube 10, and. the extension (1 takes the form of a tubular point llqwhich gradually tapers toward. its outer end.

Formed in the edges of the body portion a are slight indentations or recesses (Z which, when the section of material is bent into tu bular form, coincide with each other and form a substantially oval aperture 12, in the side of the tip and which aperture is adapted to receive the end of a suitable tool utilized for prying the lower portions of the tip apart when said tip is to be positioned upon or removed from a lace. (See Fig. 6).

Formed on the lower edge of the body a are depending pointed members 6 which, when the section of material is bent to proper shape, are bent inwardly and upwardly to form upwardly presented hooks 13 which engage in the fabric body of the lace when the tip is applied thereto.

In the manufacture of my improved tips, I find it advantageous to cut the blanks from untempered sheet metal and after they have been properly formed, to temper them, preferably by the oil tempering process, for by so doing the legs or halves of the tubular body portion 10 of the tip are. resilient to the desired degree, and while ordinarily maintaining their normal positions they may bereadily sprung apart by the insertion of a suitable tool in the aperture 12 when the {ip is to be applied to or removed from a ace.

It will be understood that when a tip is applied to a lace, the end portion of the latter is inserted upwardly through the open lower end of the tubular body, the legs or halves of which are spread apart, as illustrated in Fig. 6, and when the spreading tool is removed, these legs spring back to their normal positions and in so doing the hooks 13 engage in the body of the lace, thereby firmly securing the tip thereto.

Shoe lace tips of my improved construction can be easily and cheaply produced, are capable of being reused or transferred from old to new laces, and are effective in performing their intended functions.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved shop lace tip may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A shoe lace tip comprising a tubular metal body that is split for a portion of its length to form a pair of cooperating members adapted to inclose the end portion of a lace, and lace engaging hooks formed on the lower ends of said members which hooks project upwardly into the lower portion of the tubular body of the tip.

2. A shoe lace tip comprising a pair of connected elongated members formed of resilient metal, the lower portions of which members are capable of being spread apart, and lace engaging hooks formed on the lower ends or said members and projecting upwardly into the space between said members.

3. A shoe lace tip formed of a single piece of resilientsheet metal bent to form an elongated tubular body, said body being split lengthwise to form a pair of resilient legs,

lace engaging hooks on said legs, and there 

